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Archive for family economics

family business

2 common concerns about involving kids in the family business

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, August 23rd, 2013 

this is post #3 in a series

Should your kids be involved in the family business?

Many parents are concerned about whether or not their kids should have a part in the family business. In conversations I’ve overheard, there are two main concerns:

  1. I don’t want my children to grow up resenting the business, or the family.
  2. I don’t want to squeeze them into a mold, I want them to find what is right for them.

These are both valid concerns. Either one could happen.

But when they do happen there are typically some underlying things that cause it. And they don’t necessarily have to do with whether or not your kids are involved in the family business.

First reason: poor relationships

Whether or not your kids wind up resenting the business will have more to do with the type of relationship you have with them, not with whether or not they fill a role in the family business.

They WILL feel resentment about their involvement in the business if they get the impression that you care more about the business than you do about them.

What? Of course I care more about them. They know that!

Do they? Have you talked to them about it?

Maybe you have… but don’t just assume that they “know” that you care about them first.

Too often “what’s going with saying” needs to be said (see the video at the bottom of this post).

To do a quick “self check” on your relationship with your kids, see how you answer this question:

Q: Do you have regular, healthy, open communication with your kids?

I’m not talking about whether you talk about the business with them. I’m talking about everyday-life conversations. Do you know what’s going on in their world? Do you take the time to show interest in them and what they are interested in? Do you know what they are struggling with, and what they are hopeful about? Do you know how their walk with the LORD is going?

If you can’t answer positively about these types of questions, you might want to think a second time before you make a big deal about their involvement in the business stuff your family has going on.

Second reason: you don’t know them

If you’re not spending the relational time with your kids that you need in order to have a healthy relationship, you won’t know what mold your kids actually DO fit. Neither will they.

Part of your job as a parent is to lead them to know themselves, as God has made them.

That takes a lot of communication, which takes a lot of time.

But they are worth the investment.

Find out their interests and gifts. Find out who the LORD has made them to be.

It may come out in their personality, their gifts, their interests, their skills, their way of thinking… there are lots of aspects to who your kids are. You have both the responsibility and the privilege of exploring all that with them.

One last step:

Once you find out what they interests and talents are, go a step further.

Start a conversation about why they think the LORD has given them that interest or talent.

  • What dreams do they have about it?
  • What success have they seen in that area?
  • Do they sense the LORD telling them anything about it?

They may not have answers right away. It may take time to discover. But patiently walk through the process, caring for them as you go.

God’s mold for how our kids’ lives are going to look is what really matters… and we need to help our children discover what it is.

ONLY THEN should you begin talking about how their unique make-up fits into the family income streams.

It may not fit neatly. It may not fit at all.

But that’s O.K. God has His own plan for that child… and you can bet it will be good (Romans 8:28).

 

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Categories : Parenting
Tags : family business, family economics
family economic model

Our family economic model – an experiment in providing for the entire family

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, August 16th, 2013 

I am very intrigued and inspired by the idea that the members of a family can work together to create a viable economy for their household.

My wife and kids and I are working on an “experiment” of this kind right now.

The main thing that started the gears turning along these lines was that we began thinking about the example in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 4.

The people there began caring for each other’s needs spontaneously as they became united in the Spirit. Their example has always inspired me. My wife and I began to ask the question,

Why do we limit that sort of idea to an idealistic picture of what the church should be? Wouldn’t it be just as viable in a Christian family?

The more we thought about it, the more we realized that we didn’t have a good answer for “why not.” So we took the plunge.

Our family economic model

One of the things we noticed as we started discussing things was that the way we have typically gone about handling our children’s income (from jobs, babysitting, allowance, etc.) hasn’t trained them very well what life is like in the “real” economic world.

Stay with me for a bit…

What adult do you know who has 80% to 90% of their income available to do whatever they like with it? Maybe only the extremely wealthy – which is NOT you and me. That’s NOT the real world. The money we earn goes to pay bills, provide food and other necessities, and to save for the proverbial rainy day. If there is expendable income, it’s a very small percentage.

Yet, most parents allow their children’s income to be governed by the first model. They might be required to tithe 10% and then maybe save 10%, and the other 80% is left up to the child’s discretion. How does that prepare them for financial management in the real world? It doesn’t.

So what we’ve done is this:

  • We had a family meeting to discuss the financial needs of the family as a whole. We made it a family affair, not just a responsibility of the parents.
  • We asked the kids what they thought about the money they earned being put into a “family account” that is used to meet all the needs of the family that arise. You may be amazed, but they loved the idea. Our 12 year old son said, “I like that my money could go to something more important than just me.”
  • We allowed for 15% of what our children earn to go to them, like a “thank you” for doing a good job for the sake of the family.

At the time of this writing, we’ve been operating according to this model for almost 7 months, and everyone has continued with the same giving attitude as when we began.

Lessons learned

In my opinion, this model not only benefits the entire family financially, it also teaches all of us some valuable lessons about life.

  1. Life IS about more than us.
  2. Yet we are able to make a significant difference in important ways (no matter our age or earning ability).
  3. We learn that our money is not really OUR money… it is God’s and we are stewards to use it for the benefit of other people.

I’m curious what you think about this family economic idea… share your thoughts below!

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Categories : Parenting
Tags : family economic model, family economics, family economy
family economy

Podcast 21: Family economy: a conversation with Kevin Swanson

Posted by Carey 
· Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 

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Or if you are using a “podcatcher” here is the feed address: https://christianhomeandfamily.com/feed/podcast/

Today’s Guest:

family economy

Kevin Swanson
Generations Radio

SUMMARY OF TODAY’S PODCAST


Family economics. Not a term that most people in our day are used to hearing. But it’s an idea that has been around since the early days of the bible. Families can work together in Christian harmony to not only support themselves, but to be a huge blessing to the world around them. Today’s conversation is a discussion of the issue of family economy with author, pastor, and radio host Kevin Swanson. He’s spearheading a new movement focusing on this idea of family economics, including hosting some conferences on the subject in 2013. Check out the links below.

Links & Resources mentioned in this podcast:

  • Covenant Eyes (affiliate link*)
  • My speaking services
  • My counseling services
  • Life of a Steward
  • Generations with Vision / Generations Radio
  • The Family economics conference

* These resources are affiliate links – you pay the same price, but part of your purchase goes to support the ministry of Christian Home and Family. Thanks!

A couple of brief reminders:

  • My new spiritual growth curriculum for individuals or groups – NEW LIFE IS NO JOKE
  • My new couple’s marriage devotional – in 3 formats – THE MARRIAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
  • You are invited to prayerfully consider partnering with Christian Home and Family.
  • I’d love to do some future episodes that are “Q & A” in nature, regarding anything related to living as a Christian family. Please submit YOUR questions to me in the comments below or in any of these ways.

NEXT EPISODE: February 6, 2013 – Podcast 22 – Spiritual Leadership: The average guy’s guide

Meat & Potatoes by Adam ReyThe main music track used in the Christian Home and Family Podcast is entitled, “Midian” and is from Adam Rey’s instrumental album Meat & Potatoes – Adam has generously given me permission to use his music, so please, support his generosity by checking out and purchasing his music at www.heyreyguitar.com – (no affiliate relationship, Adam’s just my friend.)

Also, the “resources” music track is from the www.musicrevoluation.com site.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY PODCAST

Christian Home and Family subscribe on Stitcher! Miro Video Player listen on player.fm

Or if you are using a “podcatcher” here is the feed address: https://christianhomeandfamily.com/feed/podcast/

LEAVE FEEDBACK AND A REVIEW ON I-TUNES

Leave your thoughts and comments about family economics below!

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Categories : Parenting, Podcast
Tags : family business economy, family economics, family economy, Kevin Swanson interview
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